An American woman convicted in Peru of aiding leftist rebels is in police custody again after being ordered back to prison to complete the remaining five years of a 20-year sentence.
Lori Berenson's lawyer and former husband, Anibal Apari, said Berenson surrendered Wednesday after a court revoked her parole and ordered her arrest. The court ruled that Berenson should be sent back to prison to complete the rest of her term for aiding the rebel Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement, or MRTA.
Berenson was released on parole in May and prosecutors wanted her back in prison. They said there were procedural errors in the original decision to set her free.
The court's decision came two days after Berenson publicly apologized for collaborating with the rebel group. She made her remarks during a hearing in Lima aimed at determining whether she should remain on parole or be sent back to prison.
In Monday's televised hearing, Berenson said she collaborated with the group but was not a militant or a leader. She also said she never participated in violent or bloody acts, and did not kill anyone. Additionally, Berenson said she poses no danger to anyone.
Berenson, who is 40, was arrested in 1995 and accused of involvement in a failed MRTA attempt to seize Peru's Congress.
A military court initially convicted Berenson and sentenced her to life in prison. That sentence was overturned in 2000 and Berenson was re-tried by a civilian court.
She was acquitted of being an active member of the rebel group, but was convicted of helping the guerrillas, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. She had maintained her innocence.
Berenson was paroled on condition that she remain in Peru until her sentence ends in 2015.
Before her release, her defense team gave judges documents that said she had recognized she "committed errors" by becoming involved with the rebels.
In May of last year, Berenson gave birth to a son. Apari is the father. He spent 12-and-a-half years in prison for involvement with the rebels. Apari married Berenson in 2003 and had been allowed to see her in prison. The two later separated.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
